Biology subjects

Yeboah, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Yeboah, S..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Alkamines reveal a hidden layer of steroid and drug metabolism

Biomedical research overlooks most genes in favor of a well-studied minority, yet whether analogous blind spots exist in metabolomics remains unknown. We show that reductive amination, forming secondary amines from aldehydes or ketones and amines, generates a previously hidden class of metabolites we term alkamines. Multiplexed synthesis of 8,475 alkamines combined with MS/MS searches across 1.7 billion spectra identified 1,626 candidates across multiple species and organs. Of these, 56 were confirmed in biological samples, including 27 steroid- and 12 drug-derived alkamines matching prescription patterns. Notably, 77% of synthesized alkamines are absent from PubChem. This combinatorial logic likely explains why alkamines have evaded detection and suggests drug metabolism frameworks substantially underestimate drug-derived metabolite diversity. Reductive amination is an overlooked route modifying steroids, bile acids, and xenobiotics.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2025

Incomplete developmental silencing of cancer-testis antigen BORIS in humanized mouse model promotes cancer susceptibility

Cancer-testis antigens are genes normally restricted to the germline but aberrantly activated in many cancers, where their role in tumorigenesis remains unclear. BORIS (CTCFL), a testis-specific paralog of the chromatin organizer CTCF, is one such antigen that shows limited conservation between humans and mice, complicating in vivo functional studies. Here, we generated humanized mice in which both alleles of the endogenous Boris locus are replaced with the full-length human BORIS gene, including its highly diverged cis-regulatory elements. These fully humanized mice maintain normal fertility, indicating accurate germline expression and preserved BORIS function despite evolutionary divergence. However, unlike the strictly testis-specific expression of mouse Boris, human BORIS escapes complete somatic silencing, producing mosaic expression in a minority of mouse somatic cells. This ectopic expression is associated with reduced survival, increased tumor incidence and a shift of tumor spectrum toward aggressive lymphomas. Transcriptomic and chromatin profiling revealed that ectopic human BORIS reactivates testes-specific genes in the soma, including regulators of meiosis and DNA repair, through direct chromatin binding. This transcriptional reprogramming was consistent across tissues and clonal cell lines, revealing a dominant tissue-independent gene activation program. These findings demonstrate that when human BORIS escapes epigenetic silencing in somatic cells, it connects aberrant germline gene activation with increased cancer susceptibility in vivo.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Combined application of biochar with nitrogen fertilizer improves soil quality and reduces soil respiration whilst sustaining wheat grain yield in a semiarid environment

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of biochar, straw and N fertilizer on soil properties, soil respiration and grain yield of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in semi-arid Western Loess Plateau of northwestern China. The two carbon sources (straw and biochar) were applied alone or combined with nitrogen fertilizer (urea, 46% nitrogen [N]), whilst the soil without carbon is made up of nitrogen fertilizer applied at 0, 50 and 100 kg N/ha. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replicates and was conducted in 2014, 2015 and 2016 cropping season. Results showed that the greatest grain yields were found with 100 kg N ha-1 fertilization rate under biochar, straw and soils without carbon, but the greatest effect occurred on the biochar amended soils. Biochar amendment produced the greatest grain yield at 1906 kg ha-1, followed by straw treated soils at 1643 kg ha-1, and soils without carbon the lowest at 1553 kg ha-1. This results is supported by the fact that, biochar amended soils (at 0-10 cm) increased soil organic C by 17.14% and 21.65% compared to straw treated soils and soils without carbon respectively. Seasonal soil respirations were between 19.05% and 23.67% lower in BN100 compared with SN50 and CN100. Soil respiration reduced with increasing N fertilization rates under all treatments, but the greatest effect occurred on biochar plots. Biochar amended soils decreased carbon emission by 26.80% and 9.54% compared to straw treated soils and soils without carbon amendment respectively. Increased grain yield and the decreased carbon emission in BN100 translated into greater carbon emission efficiency (2.88 kg kg-1) which was significantly different compared with the other treatments. Combined application of biochar with 100 kg N ha-1 in rainfed spring wheat was a suitable agricultural practice.

ecology↗